The Supreme Court issued a directive on Wednesday, instructing the Delhi police to provide protection to a 20-year-old girl who expressed concerns about her safety due to threats from her own family members.
The girl had previously been granted the “right to live her life on her own” by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2022, as she did not wish to reside with her family.
The case was mentioned before a vacation bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Bela Trivedi and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, and focused on the alleged abduction of the 20-year-old girl by the petitioner.
The petitioner argued that he did not abduct the girl, who had willingly left her home due to abuse by her family members. He challenged an order passed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court that had cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to the petitioner.
The Supreme Court expressed its reluctance to interfere with the High Court’s decision, noting that the petitioner was uncooperative with the investigation and did not respond to the Investigating Officer’s calls.
However, during the hearing, the 20-year-old girl appeared in person and expressed her apprehension about her family members threatening her life. She clarified that she was a major and that nobody had kidnapped or abducted her. She explained that she had left her family because of their abusive behavior and their attempts to force her into a marriage. Currently, she resided independently in Varanasi. Seeking the court’s protection, she stated that her family had been torturing her.
She stated, “I wanted to study, but my family did not allow me. My brothers used to misbehave with me, but still, they did not listen to me. They used to beat me up too. That’s why I left the house.”
Justice Bela Trivedi questioned the girl, asking her how she became aware of the ongoing case since she was not a party to it. The girl informed the bench that a friend had informed her about it but refused to disclose the friend’s identity.
In response, Justice Trivedi said, “Why won’t you tell us? If you lie, we can take action against you.”
However, the girl maintained that she couldn’t reveal her friend’s name as it would put her friend’s life in danger. When further questioned about her connection to the petitioner, the girl alleged that she had experienced sexual abuse by her brothers.
She made this statement after Justice Bela Trivedi commented that her brothers would never wish harm upon her. The girl said, If they are my brothers, why do they misbehave with me?”
Justice Bela Trivedi quickly dismissed the girl’s allegations and interrupted her before she could complete her statement, stating, “No, you should not make such allegations. Has someone taught you this?”
The girl insisted that nobody had taught her and that she had genuinely experienced the abuse, informing her family members about it as well. She said, “Nobody taught me. I told my mother, I told my sister, but no one listened.”
Justice Trivedi remained unswayed and refused to entertain the allegations, remarking, “No, you’re becoming too clever. You’re being smarter than the judge. You’re saying anything now.”
Eventually, the court granted security and protection to the girl, allowing her to return to Varanasi, where she lived alone. However, no action was taken regarding the sexual abuse allegations she made against her brothers.
